#23: Lykke Li – Youth Novels

It was hard to miss this year’s international phenomenon Lykke Li. It seemed she was just about everywhere. Youth Novels, the young Swedish star’s debut LP, has received amazing reviews all year and I still haven’t met an individual that had anything negative to say about it. What can I say? She is sweet and bizarre at the same time. In a way, she essentially became 2008’s Kate Nash.

Her eclectic contradictions in sound between soft pop and electronics is done beautifully throughout the entire album. Aside from the singles “Tonight” and “Little Bit,” it’s tunes like “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “This Trumpet in my Hand” that really won me over.

There is no question that Lykke created an “album” and not just a collection of songs. And if you know the Music Mastermind at all, doing just that is what ultimately lands you on this countdown.